Showing posts with label amid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amid. Show all posts

Friday, August 24, 2012

mist, midst, missed

Mist or mist means water vapor close to the ground, or rising from the ground--
It was a damp morning, with a fine mist over everything.
Mist may also mean a fine spray or a light, fine rain--
He used the garden hose to mist the plants.

Midst or midst means among or in the center of a group of people or things--
There was a large crowd, and in their midst a man waving frantically.
"...in the midst of life we are in death..."

Missed or missed ( rhymes with mist ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "miss" meaning to aim at something and fail to hit it; to fail to show up for something; or to feel the absence of something or someone--
He swung at the ball and missed.
He missed his train, and was late for work.
They had a carnival last week, but we missed it.
He missed his wife while she was away.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"In the midst of a group of coworkers, he told how he got lost in the early morning mist and missed his train."

Note--"amidst" or "amid" is a preposition ( direction, as under, over, through ) form of midst--
He stood amidst the wreckage and didn't seem to notice anyone.
"... if you walk amid the burning flames, you will not be harmed..."
Note # 2--"mister" may mean a device used to spray a mist--
She sprayed the plants with a mister every day.
"Mister" may also be a form of address or a title for an adult male, usually abbreviated as "Mr."--
Hello, Mister Smith; it's nice to meet you.
Hey mister, you forgot your bags!
Not to be confused with "missed her"--
He threw a snowball, but he missed her.
When she was away, he missed her.